Brave
by 8ounce
Summary: Felicity is very brave. This is inspired by Clara Hughes' ride across Canada for the stigma of mental illness. Let me know what you think.


The apartment was quiet, as sunlight filtered softly through the curtains of the bedroom. The barely audible, rhythmic breathing emanating from the petite blonde in the center of the bed was the only sound that could be heard, muffled by the layers of blankets that made the blonde strands barely visible. Eyes cracked open slowly, as she awoke, then snapped open as she became aware of the glowing numbers on the clock beside her. Gasping, she sprung from the bed, wrenching off blankets and sprinting to the bathroom. Ripping open a drawer, she fumbled clumsily with the two orange bottles in her hands, cursing as she tried, fruitlessly, to wrench them open. As the lid popped open, she screamed in frustration as pills flew all over the counter. Quickly, she tried to shove them back into the bottle, scrabbling to return the damned capsules into their container. She popped one in her mouth and swallowed, grimacing as it stuck in her throat. She scrambled to fill a glass with water, downing it. She moved on to the second bottle, pausing in fear as the silence in the apartment was suddenly shattered.

"Hey, I'm here! You ready to leave?" Oliver's voice echoed through the apartment. She swore quietly under her breath. "Felicity?" The voice moved closer and closer to the bathroom. The door creaked open. "Felicity?" A head popped around the door. She froze as bright blue eyes found her, pill bottle in one hand, water glass in the other, still in her pyjamas. "What's that?" He inquired, slowly moving towards her. She backed away, setting the water glass on the table. "Babe, you're scaring me. What is that? Are you okay?" He reached her in two strides, placing his hands reassuringly on her shoulders.

"Pills." She muttered, staring intently at her feet. He walked towards the second bottle, picking it up to examine it more closely.

"Zoloft." He murmured thoughtfully, rubbing his chin. Suddenly, he paused. "Zoloft. Zoloft. Honey, why are you taking Zoloft?" Still, she would not look at him, frozen in panic and fear. "Isn't Zoloft…a depression med?" He inquired, moving towards her again.

"Anxiety." She muttered under her breath, her knuckles turning white around the bottle she was holding. Suddenly, warm fingers found her chin and tilted it upwards gently.

"Felicity. What's going on?" He asked sombrely, looking into her eyes. She fiddled with the bottle, popping the second pill into her mouth and swallowing. She put the lid back on with a loud snap, and jumped a little at the sound. She thrust the bottle at him. "This is Abilify. Are you depressed?" She shook her head. A warm thumb wiped away a tear that had escaped.

"Oliver, promise you won't leave me." She whispered, finally meeting his eyes. He folded her into his arms and stroked her back.

"Never. I would never leave you because of any of this." He murmured, pressing gentle kisses to her forehead.

"I have bipolar II." She said quietly, burying her face in her neck.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, rubbing her back. He lifted her in his arms and carried her back into the bedroom, setting her down on the bed and kneeling in front of her.

"I was afraid." She said, swiping at the tears rolling down her face.

"Of what?" He asked, interlocking their fingers.

"I don't know. Past boyfriends have….run." She sighed, looking away. Again, warm fingers found her chin.

"Look at me." He said, peering into her eyes. "Felicity, this is not a reason for me to leave or reject you. In fact, this makes me love and respect you even more, because of all the obstacles and challenges you've pushed through to make it this far." He smiled, lifting their hands to place a kiss on her knuckles. "I think you're very brave."

"Really?" She asked, her eyes flitting and scanning his face, as if looking for a hint of deception. His heart broke for her, that so many people had hurt her that she couldn't believe that about herself. He nodded, and shuffled closer to capture her lips.

"I love you." He mumbled against her lips. She pressed her forehead against his and sighed, content.

"I love you, too."


End file.
